World Vision provided food aid to displaced families in Zambales, a north-western region of the Philippines after a dike collapsed due to heavy rains from Typhoon Morakot.
World Vision Philippines responded after conducting an assessment to identify the immediate needs of the affected families living in six evacuation centres.
"We are distributing bread and 40 gallons of water to almost 800 individuals including 264 children in two evacuation centres because they have no food to eat for their breakfast today," said Zenia Capiral, Word Vision Area Development Programme Manager.
Zenia added that they will give additional relief goods consisting of five kilos of rice, four tins of sardines and four packs of noodles to 1,871 affected families.
She reported that a number of children and their families had moved to evacuation centres while others were taking shelter with relatives.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported that more than 13,000 individuals were displaced in Zambales. The province is now under a state of calamity as declared by its provincial government.
Classes have been suspended for students in the province.
Media reports say that many residents were spared because they clung onto trees while awaiting rescue or for floodwaters to subside. Many houses were submerged, and villagers surprised by the raging waters say they failed to save most of their belongings.
To date, almost 29,000 residents were affected in the whole of Luzon central region.
Typhoons and flash floods are common across the Philippines during the monsoon months between May and October.
For more information or expert interviews, please contact Shirley Kimmayong, World Vision Communications Specialist at:
Office phone: +6323747618
Mobile phone: +639178836172
Email: shirley_simmayong@wvi.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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